I'm Fine
by the.eye.does.not.SEE
Summary: "It had been a very long time since anyone had taken care of her." Carol/Daryl, one-shot, set after 3x06. Rated K.


Title: I'm Fine

Author: theeyedoesnotSEE/fais2688

Pairing: Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier

Rating: K

Summary: "It had been a very long time since anyone had taken care of her." A tiny Carol/Daryl one-shot set immediately after 3x06.

Author's Note: So I finally caught up with _The Walking Dead _last night… And I couldn't resist. This story builds off of their scene together in the last episode.

.

"I'm fine."

It had to be the tenth time she'd said it. She paused a second, tilting her head to the side momentarily. No, it was the eleventh. It was the _eleventh _time she'd said it, and though she wasn't surprised, she was still annoyed when her statement was met with even less than a grunt. If she didn't know better, she'd think he'd gone deaf. There was no sign on his face that he'd even heard her.

She raised her voice, turning her head over her shoulder as they sat on the concrete floor in the hall. "I said I'm _fine, _Daryl."

She could hear him sigh—exasperated—before he spoke. His eyes didn't lift from examining her back. "Well, that's not up for you to decide, is it? Someone has to check."

"And Herschel already did." She almost smiled at the impatient bite to her voice. But then she frowned a moment later; she doubted he would even notice it. Nonetheless, she continued, "So you don't have to check his check. You're not even a doctor."

"Neither is he," Daryl replied at once, in that both antagonistic and dismissive voice he managed to use sometimes when he didn't care what you, or anyone, thought. Carol refrained from sighing aloud at it; though she hated that tone, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of letting him know. She was about to remind him that being a licensed veterinarian was so much closer to being an actual medical doctor than a mountain man was, but he spoke before she could get the words out.

"You've got a scrap back here," he told her. He traced his hands around the raw flesh, and she drew in a quick breath at the singing pain.

"It's just a scrape?" She asked, her voice a bit higher than it was a moment ago. They both knew what she really wanted to ask. She felt his hand probe around the injury, winced as he stretched the skin apart to check. After a moment—which seemed incredibly long to Carol, who'd been holding her breath—he replied in the affirmative.

"It's just a scrape."

Carol couldn't help but let out all her breath in a large sigh of relief. Even though she knew they were all infected, somehow getting bitten just made it all the worse—and all the more real. She fell silent again as he continued to check her over, not bothering to protest again that she was fine. The corner of her lips twitched up a moment as she felt his fingers skim over her back. She barely felt the sting when they drifted across a gash or cut.

It had been a very long time since anyone had taken care of her.

.

"Why'd you do that?" She asked later, no longer feeling like sidestepping anything anymore. She stood, facing him. "Why'd you check me over after you knew Herschel already did? I was fine."

Daryl shrugged it off—literally sidestepping her and her question as he made to leave. Carol grabbed his arm before he could go anywhere though, and she almost smiled when she saw surprise flicker across his face. A second later it was gone, and his familiar calculation expression was back in play. She couldn't help but wonder when he was looking for when he scrutinized her, but she pushed it out of her mind as she spoke.

"I want an answer," she told him, trying to sound as confident and commanding as possible. "I want you to tell me why you checked on me."

He avoided her eyes as he replied, like a unruly child would when being forced by a parent to apologize for wrongdoing. "You'd do the same for me," he muttered, taking pains to say those words as if it'd been some deep, dark secret.

She nearly laughed. He thought _that _was a reason? '_You'd do the same for me'?_ She couldn't help but grin when she informed him, "You know that's not an answer, Daryl."

He met her eyes now, his much more intense than she'd been expecting. Her eyebrows drew together, confused at the look on his face. It was torn between two emotions, between his usual focused intensity and… something she wasn't sure she recognized. Before she could ask what he was thinking, he told her, his voice as dark as his eyes, "I don't really think you want to know."

She chewed on her lower lip for a split-second, wishing he'd said absolutely anything else. Didn't he know that saying that would only fuel her need to understand? _But maybe that's the point_. She stared up at him, watching the way his eyes roamed over her face, watching the way he seemed to study and take in every feature of her expression. She wondered what he was looking for.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he admitted finally. To Carol's surprise, he kept eye contact with her the entire time. "I found you in that room; I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Even after Herschel already said so."

"Like I said," Daryl replied, "he's a vet. Animals aren't the same as people."

"It's worked for us so far," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, not for you," he replied heatedly, suddenly turning their conversation into an argument. "What?" He nearly barked when she stared at him in shock. "I don't trust him, okay? For everyone else, fine, for you—" He suddenly broke off, turning away. She stared at his back as she listened to him mutter, "That's different."

When she finally got her mind under control, Carol wondered quietly, "So I'm different?" She kept her voice quiet, not wanting to push him and ruin this first (and probably only) honest moment between them. "Why?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder; the curl of his lips told her that she should already know why. She tried to swallow, but some sort of lump got lodged in her throat and stole her breath and composure. "I, um…" After a second try, she finally managed to swallow that lump, albeit painfully. "I don't know if I get what you're talking about."

"Don't be stupid," he spat, turning around to face her. His boots scraped on the ground; the sound seemed to reverberate in the empty hallway. Carol couldn't help but notice how alone they were. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Carol shook her head, trying to stall him, trying to wait a few minutes more. She knew he was going to say something else, and though she'd been waiting months to hear it, to hear it said aloud, suddenly she didn't want it to happen. Suddenly she wasn't ready for whatever he wanted to admit to her. She opened her mouth, struggling to find something to say to distract him, when he suddenly stepped forward and covered that mouth with his.

She gasped immediately, taken aback, and he moved closer, bending his head more sharply to meet hers. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd been expecting him to say, but it certainly hadn't been _this._ Her mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation. Yes, they'd been joking around a few weeks ago, but that was different! This…

She squeezed her eyes shut, denying her brain the right to think and reaching up to pull his lips closer. Her hands clutched his cheeks, framing his dirty and bloodstained face as she opened her mouth to his. She could feel his own hands on her cheeks, cupping her chin as they'd done before and covering her delicate features with that gentleness she loved knowing he was capable of.

Though she was sure the kiss must've lasted a long time, due to their labored breath, it all felt like it was over much too soon. She couldn't help but wonder if it would ever happen again, or if it—like so much else in the world now—was just a one-time thing.

He pulled back slowly, his eyes scrutinizing her face. She wondered what he was looking for, but she felt too dazed to rearrange her features into something he'd expect or be satisfied with. His voice was low and gravelly when he asked, "You okay?"

She swallowed, letting the sound of her rapid heartbeat fill up the silence for a moment. She couldn't help but smile lopsidedly when she replied, "I'm fine."

He smirked at her, half-laughing at her repeated response. "That's it?" He wondered. "Just 'fine?'" He kicked the ground with the toe of his boot. "Must've lost my touch."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, interesting—so you had one in the first place?"

"Shut up." He grunted out the words, but she could see the ghost of a smile playing on his lips, and that was enough for her.

She stepped past him, heading back towards the rest of the group. "Come on," she waved. "We should head back."

As they walked, every few paces, she could feel his hand brush against hers as they moved through the labyrinthine prison. She couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional or not—if it was his attempt at holding hands or simply a continued mistaken touch. She bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh—the thought of them holding hands brought forth ridiculous images of couples walking along sunlit beaches and frolicking through flowers. None of that was Daryl, nor, for the record, was it Carol, either.

When they came around a corner and heard a scuffling, he didn't even hesitate. He threw out an arm to shove her behind him, scanning the darkened area with a flashlight. The rats scurried from the body when they fell under the beam, and both Carol and Daryl exhaled quietly in relief. His arm fell from protecting her, and as his hand when back to unintentionally (it _had _to be unintentional, right?) brushing against hers, she couldn't help but think that—no matter how little sense it made—she liked this ruined world they lived in now together a hell of a lot more than her old one.

.

_Author's Note: I'm not sure how I feel about this piece. I like it and I don't like it. If you couldn't tell, I've never written for either this show or ship before, though I've been a long-time fan of both. That being said, I would REALLY appreciate feedback, whether it's positive or negative. Thank you all for reading! Please take the time to leave me with your thoughts!_

_._

Edit: A note to one of my anons, : I'd just like to mention what your review meant to me. I haven't gotten such a detailed or so honestly nice review here on FFN in a long time. I am so grateful for you for taking the time not only to read my little story, but also to comment with your thoughts. I am so happy you thought that Carol and Daryl were true to their characters and that the kiss was surprising.

I just adored writing the unintentional hand-brushing, so I'm so pleased you mentioned it. I am so freaking flattered that your heart _actually_ fluttered. That is unreal. Thank you so, so much.

As I said before, I am so grateful for you for this wonderful review and your amazing support. I wish you had an account so I could reply to you personally, but I hope if you ever come back to the story you'll see this. Thank you.


End file.
